Check out this promotional mix from the Dutch label, Mindtrick Records. Plenty of Night Track-y sounds on this one, including the likes of Inofaith, VVV and a lot of forthcoming stuff from the badman that is Delete.
A great listen, and a sign of a great label. Listen above or grab the download and listen later.
Happy New Year everyone. Here are a few free tracks from some of the members of the Night Shift Collective that might make the first day back at work for many of you more tolerable.
First up, Venture has put his track "As The Rain Falls" as a free download, so grab it while you can!
You can now grab Budeaux's track "Crystal Paths" too.
Eplp does his part by making his new track "Grief Blossoms Wherever She Treads" available for free.
And finally, a reminder from Inofaith that you can get his "Dawn Is Late EP" with a bonus track for half-price until this friday. Grab it here.
So, we're down to the penultimate list, this time, it's tracks 20-11. If you missed the first few lists, then check them out here: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21. For now, read on, starting with number...
20. Ollie Macfarlane - Torment(from Shadows EP (Seeking Blue))
Anyone that heard any of my mixes on radio stations throughout the year will know this track. Ollie strayed away from his more traditional UK Garage style for this one, with lush pads, great vocal samples and driving drums that put him at number 20 in this year's prestigious list. Very glad this got signed on a great EP overall. (Buy here)
Another track from one of the standout releases of the year. Although the track is lead by those neon synth stabs, it retains a real dark, street atmosphere. Out to LV & Josh Idehen, whilst the album works best as a whole, this was undoubtedly the high point. Shame it wasn't longer, but that's testament to the track. (Buy here)
18. Inofaith - Nocturne (from Dawn Is Late EP (Shipwrec Recordings))
I am a man who loves a good nocturne, and if there was a release this year that deserves that title, it's definitely this track from Inofaith. I know Inofaith likes to produce late at night, and anybody that listens to his Dawn Is Late EP should be able to see that for themselves. The long, sample heavy instrument is the perfect build up for the glorious moment that the shuffling garage drums kick in. (Buy here)
17. Zed Bias & Steve Gurley - Roll (from Roll (Keysound Recordings))
Let's be honest here. Could a collaboration between Zed Bias and returning UKG don Steve Gurley be anything but magic? The dark vocal rolls (no pun intended) over and over above possibly the best percussion of the year. Dark Garage at it's finest. (Buy here)
16. Ghostlight - Known All The Days(from Leaving For The City Of Saints EP (Other Heights))
Again, I can't express how glad I am that Ghostek's stuff finally saw a release this year, and I'm even more glad that Other Height's found space for some of his collaborations with Roof Light. They may have been floating around for some time, but that didn't take away any of the impact of putting this on my decks for the first time and playing it from beginning to end. (Buy here)
15. Sully - It's Your Love (from Carrier (Keysound Recordings))
What a way to open Sully's first album, with this track that harked back to the golden age of Dark UKG. Burial might've tried and failed to replicate El-B's drums by his own admission, but Sully has definitely succeeded in creating something that garage pioneer would be proud of. (Buy here)
14. Ghostek - Cryostasis(from Lost Tapes EP (Square Harmony))
Nobody does that dark, moody garage better than Ghostek, and this was the defining example from his Lost Tapes EP. The bass has tremendous power, and as always, you never quite know where the drums on a Ghostek track are going to take you, and the little vocal snippets are used sparingly, and only appear at their most effective. The sort of track that would leave anybody that listens to it wanting more Ghostek. (Buy here)
13. HGLDT - Knowing You (from 2010/Knowing You (Swing & Skip))
Possibly my most awaited release of the year. Ever since I heard this track played and recommended by Blackdown, I was desperate for a release, and I rinsed the youtube clip hundreds of times. Backed with a remix by Resketch, and a track by Damu, this was a great release that brought the emerging Swing & Skip label(run by HGLDT himself) to a lot of people's attention. (Buy here)
12. DjRum - Mountains Pt. 2 & 3 (from Mountains EP (2nd Drop))
It's now pretty much universally recognised on music sites that DJ Rum (or DjRum in this case) was onto something special with his Mountains EP, and Night Tracks feels so differently. I don't think anybody that heard it for the first time expected that laid back, string-laden intro to give way to the pounding, somewhere-between-techno-jungle-and-garage drums that rule over the latter part of the track. (Buy here)
11. Jamie xx - Beat For (from Far Nearer (Numbers))
Although all the hype was around the steel-pan laden summer anthem, Far Nearer, the flip side, the dark and moody Beat For was not to be ignored. I struggle to think of a dark track that has such dancefloor potential as this one. It first made an appearance on a mix by Jamie xx a couple of years ago, this record was delayed and delayed, but the world is better for it's arrival. The perfect accompaniment to Far Nearer. (Buy here)
Unfortunately, I can't make it to this myself because of work, some of my friends will be there (some performing!), including Essay, Inofaith, Fedbymachines and many more. Looks like a great line-up, should be a great time for anyone that can make it to Utrecht.Click on the flyer below to go to the official site.
I've been fortunate enough to convince Inofaith to answer some questions, and luckily, I've decided to share them with you followers of Night Tracks. Read on and see what he has to say, and check out some of his tunes along the way...
NT: Hey, can you give us an introduction for the people that haven’t heard of you yet?
I: Hi, I’m Tobias aka Inofaith, producer, sound design freak and DJ from The Netherlands. I’m busy with deep music, odd sounds and imagination.
NT: I’ve asked the following question to quite a few people that aren’t from the UK, as I’m always interested in finding out; How did you first get into the garage sound?
I: It’s all bits and pieces over a longer period of time. But part of it stems from when I started producing at 14, I did HipHop/TripHop, then Breakbeat, finally Drum and Bass. The thing I liked most was the drum programming, that’s when my love for working with syncopation and strange rhythms developed.
I did hear a few 2-Step tracks in popular music now and then like Artful Dodger - Re Rewind haha.
I also bought my first Dubstep record, Boxcutter’s album “Oneiric” in 2006, featuring tracks that were 2-Step and Garage influenced but nothing like it in the traditional sense.
But shortly after that I stopped producing (2007), started again early 2009. It was sort of my musical re-boot and also when I really got into Dubstep and focussed completely on that. Initially I made very ambient and chilled stuff like ‘Dawn Is Late’ and ‘Girls Go To Bed Early’. Then in 2010 me and a few friends had a resident gig in Haarlem, there I played more and more 2-Step and deeper experimental stuff.
Later I got reacquainted with Garage and it made me realise my beats had more 2-Step and Garage in them rather than half-time Dubstep. That got me back in touch with my breakbeat & syncopation loving side :).
Inofaith, founder of the Night Shift Collective, has promised to release a track when his Facebook page gets 1000 followers. He's on 955 at the last count, so there's not too far to go.
To put a twist on things, he's only previewing one element of the track. The reverb. I'm not sure about you, but it's enough to make me want it (then again, I want all the Inofaith ever).
Check out a new group, the Night Shift Collective on Soundcloud of like-minded producers pushing a 'Night Time' sound.
From the description; "We will be showing you our best tunes along the lines of Future Garage, 2-Step, Ambient and related styles that feature deep, sincere vibes.
If you're trying to find the soundtrack to your night in solitude or just chilling out, look no further."
It's a real worldwide thing, with members from The Netherlands, UK, Canada, Germany, Russia, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, so keep an eye on it if you dig that sound.
